Building Systems and Energy

Conservation
ARC 8281
Course outline
• Practical focus on energy efficient design,
• Building energy performance and human interaction;
• passive lighting and cooling;
• Passive Building Systems;
• Active Building Systems and their applications.
Building Systems
• Are the supporting, enclosing, dividing and services elements of
buildings.
• These includes architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical, and
control systems along with their respective subsystems, equipment,
and components, all of which must be commissioned.
Building Systems
Elaborations on what these mean:
• Skin is the stuff that keeps out the elements, including roofing, siding,
windows, exterior doors, gutters, caulk in cracks and joints, and so forth. Most
people put thermal insulation here also.
• Structure holds up the building. Separation of structure from space dividing
systems is important because it allows for future addition or removal of
interior walls and doors as program needs change. Starting from the top, the
roof has rafters or joists or trusses, and beams, and possibly girders (beams
that hold up beams). The exterior walls may hold up the roof or the roof may
be supported by columns (posts). The floor may sit directly on the ground (a
concrete slab-on-grade) or may be built of concrete, steel, or wood with a
basement or crawlspace underneath. There are also elements that brace the
building against lateral (sideways) forces such as wind and earthquakes.
Elaborations on what these mean:
• Space dividers are walls, doors, and so forth. Flexibility for future change is probably
as important as the original layout, as most buildings are re-configured during their
lives. Keeping major system elements (main pipes, main electrical runs, main duct
runs, etc.) out of the way of future changes to interior walls is an important part of
this. Some of the building finish materials on space dividing systems are responsible
for a high proportion of building operating costs, in particular floors, restrooms, and
doors.
• Stuff is what we use in our daily lives, the furniture, books, chalk, table lamps, and so
forth, as well as the people who occupy the space.
• Site is where the building is and is largely immutable. School sites evolve over time
with changing needs for outdoor education and recreation, but these changes are
largely superficial and respect the original site characteristics and placement of the
buildings. Large buildings are very rarely moved to a new site.
Building Systems

• The classification of building systems according to functional purpose into supporting

and enclosing types is to a great extent arbitrary. Whereas arches, trusses, and frames
are only supporting elements, wall and roofing panels, shells, vaults, and folded plate
structures usually serve both enclosing and supporting functions, thereby
corresponding to one of the most important trends in modern construction.
• Supporting elements are said to be planar (for instance, beams, trusses, frames) or
three-dimensional (shells, vaults, domes). However, three-dimensional supports
typically have a better distribution of forces and, correspondingly, a lesser material
outlay. New types of three-dimensional constructions, are notable for both economy
and the comparative simplicity of fabrication and assembly.
• Depending on the material used, building systems are classified as concrete,
reinforced concrete, steel, masonry, wood and services.
Building Systems: Concrete and reinforced-concrete building
systems

• Concrete and reinforced-concrete building systems are used most frequently, since they
have a variety of applications. They are used in the construction of modern residential,
public, and commercial buildings, as well as many engineering structures.
• Monolithic reinforced-concrete systems are particularly suitable for the construction of
hydroengineering structures, road and airfield surfaces, tanks, towers, elevators, and the
foundations of industrial equipment.
• Special types of concrete and reinforced concrete are used to build structures that
function at high and low temperatures or under conditions with chemically aggressive
media.
• A reduction in the mass and the material outlay of reinforced-concrete systems is
possible by using high-strength concrete and reinforcement, by increasing the use of
prestressed structures, and by extending the areas of application for lightweight and
cellular concretes.
Building Systems: Steel constructions
• Steel constructions are used mainly for the framework of buildings and other
structures having great spans and for shops using heavy crane equipment. Blast
furnaces, large-capacity tanks, bridges, and towers are generally made of steel.
• Reinforced concrete and steel may often be substituted for one another. The choice
of the material in such cases is made by considering cost ratios and availability.
• An important advantage of steel structures over those made of reinforced concrete
is their small mass. Thus, the use of steel is preferable in seismic regions, in the hard-
to-reach areas of the Artic and Antarctic, in deserts, and in high-mountain regions.
• Increasing the amount of high-strength steels used along with those having
economical rolled cross sections and designing efficient three-dimensional structures
(including those made of thin sheet steel) substantially reduce the weight of
buildings and other structures.
Building Systems: Masonry constructions
Masonry construction is primarily used for walls and partitions. Buildings
made of brick, natural stone, or small blocks meet the requirements of
industrial construction to a lesser degree than large-panel structures.
Consequently, their use is gradually decreasing. However, the use of high-
strength brick, reinforced masonry, and composite constructions (masonry
constructions strengthened with steel reinforcement or reinforced-concrete
elements) makes it is possible to increase substantially the supporting
capability of buildings with masonry walls. By turning from hand-laid
masonry to the use of factory-made brick and ceramic panels, the degree of
industrialized construction is greatly increased and the labor required in
construction is reduced.
Building Systems: Services installations
• From the standpoint of service requirements, building systems should
perform their function and should be fire and corrosion resistant. Their
maintenance must be safe, convenient, and economical.
• The quantities and rates of large-scale construction impose certain
requirements on building systems, for example, industrialization of
fabrication, economy, ease of transport, and speed of assembly.
• Reducing the labor requirements is particularly important, both during
fabrication and erection.
• One of the major goals of modern construction is the reduction of mass by
the general use of lightweight, efficient materials and the improvement of
construction designs.
Building Systems: Other requirements
• The design of building systems must take into consideration strength, stability, and flexibility.
• It is also necessary to take account of the stress to which each element is subjected while in
service (external loads and its own weight), the influence of temperature, shrinkage, the
shifting of supports, and the forces that occur during transport and assembly.
• Before the 1950s, building systems were designed, according to the materials used, for
permissible stresses (metal and wood) or for maximum stresses (concrete, reinforced concrete,
masonry, and reinforced masonry).
• The principal flaw of these methods is the use of a single safety factor for all the effective loads,
which does not permit proper evaluation of the amount of variability of the different types of
loads (constant, temporary, snow, wind) and the maximum carrying capability.
• In addition, design based on permissible stresses does not take into account the plastic phase
of the strength of construction materials, thus leading to unjustifiable material expenditures.
Building Systems: Other requirements
• When designing any structure, building systems and materials that
optimally suit the specific construction and service conditions are selected.
• Due regard is given to the necessity of using local materials and saving on
transportation expenditures.
• When designing large structures, standard building constructions and
modular structural plans are most commonly used.
• Consideration of the extraction methods, manufacturing, transportation
and assembling of these materials in terms of their energy conservation
should be noted. Any helpful way that can reduce their energy
consumption should be embraced.
Energy Conservation Tips
Energy Conservation Tips
• Energy conservation is the process of identifying and taking steps to reduce overall
energy usage. With so many devices and opportunities every day to expend energy,
there are also a large number of ways to minimize output. Strategies vary from person
to person as some are able to simply do with less when it comes to electricity, heating,
or cooling. Others have taken a more modern approach with the help of energy-saving
technology such as smart thermostats, efficient light bulbs, and even smart power
strips.
• In this day and age, there are plenty of ways to reduce the energy you use and they
come with a number of benefits. In addition to enabling energy saving, conservation
strategies can help you be more efficient at home and spend less money every month
on your bills. And the best part about energy conservation is that it only takes minor
adjustments to everyday behavior to realize big savings.
• You can save energy cost by following these simple tips. Many of them are common
sense suggestions that require no tools or out-of-pocket expense. Over time, you will
see your energy efficiency increase and your energy savings multiply.
Energy Conservation Tips
Take advantage of a home energy audit
• A home energy audit is an assessment that allows you to identify the best ways to improve the energy efficiency within
your home. This audit easily identifies which areas of the house require the most electricity and cooling and is important
for reducing waste. Audits are best left to professional companies but can be done tentatively by homeowners.
• By identifying the areas that have leaks, would benefit from insulation and are rooms/spaces that demand high amounts of
electricity, you will be able to more effectively reduce your energy output, which should help in saving you money. A home
energy audit also helps to promote a more controlled environment, both for temperature and energy, within your home.
Repair any electrical issues in the home.
• Whether it’s electrical surges, bulbs burning out, or constant flickering, it’s important to make sure that you handle the
electrical issues within your home. Due to the nature of the task, this requires the help of a licensed electrical professional
who can inspect the circuitry in the home and repair old wiring, as well as swap out circuit boxes, electrical outlets, or any
other items that may need to be replaced.
• Repairing your electrical issues is important for a number of reasons, most notably the danger involved with faulty
electronic devices. If you are unaware of how a device is malfunctioning, it is likely that you also do not know of the
possible dangers associated with leaving it as it is. Always make sure to have a professional inspect the situation. Fixing the
problem should also allow the electrical equipment to run more efficiently, providing you with more reliable equipment
and also optimizing energy output, which should save you money.
Energy Conservation Tips
Invest in energy-efficient appliances for the home.
• There comes a time when the old appliances in your home must eventually be replaced with new ones. At that
moment, you have the opportunity to make subtle changes that can help you improve the energy conservation
within your home. One easy way to do that is to begin replacing old appliances with new ones that have energy-
efficient labels.
• In doing so, be sure to look for the ENERGY STAR ratings and the logo on appliances, which indicate that the
appliance uses up less energy. Especially for things like your washer, dryer, or even refrigerator, which is an
appliance that runs 24/7, this is important because finding a new one that uses up even a bit less will have a
consistent and long-term benefit.
Use power strips wherever possible
• Power strips are the devices that plug into your wall and offer a number of sockets to plug in your other
electronics. In addition to allowing you to optimize the number of things that can be plugged into any given
outlet, Power strips also allow for one succinct power down.
• Power strips are particularly useful due to the fact that they help users to avoid overloading electrical outlets and
prevent them from draining unnecessary energy. Power strips also help to efficiently distribute energy to
appliances. With efficiency comes shorter wait time for devices to charge and also less wasted energy, which is
quite beneficial financially.
Energy Conservation Tips
Energy efficient appliances
Energy Conservation Tips
• Heating/Cooling
• Clean or replace filters at least once a month. Dirty filters will make your system work harder and run longer than necessary.
They also encourage the buildup of mold and mildew, which can make cleaning more difficult.
• Outside air conditioning units (condensers) shaded by trees or other means work more efficiently and use up to 10% less
electricity.
• Clean your A/C's condenser/evaporator coils at the beginning of the season. Clean coils will lower your energy costs, extend
the unit's life, and provide cleaner air for you to breathe. The fin coils on the outside A/C unit can be washed with a hose.
Coils on inside units are best serviced by a trained technician.
• Keep debris, high grass and other obstacles away from the condenser so that airflow to the unit is not blocked. Blockage will
make the condenser work harder and run longer.
• One of the best ways to save energy dollars is to use less air conditioning and heating. Set your thermostat at 78° (or higher)
in the summer and 68° (or lower) in the winter. Each degree cooler or warmer will increase your energy use by 6 to 8%. For
instance, setting your thermostat at 72° in the summer could increase energy use by up to 40%. The same is true if you set
your thermostat for higher energy use in the winter.
• If you have central air conditioning, do not close vents in unused rooms. This could increase pressure and cause leaks in your
ducts. This does not apply to homes or apartments with window units, where closing off unused rooms will reduce cooling
costs and increase comfort.
• New high-efficiency air conditioners and heat pumps use up to 40% less electricity than older models for the same amount of
running time.
Energy Conservation Tips
• Insulation
• A home with inadequate attic insulation can lose as much as 40% of its cool air. Because heat rises, as much as 60%
of heat can be lost in the wintertime in poorly insulated homes.
• The average 10 to 15-year-old home has R-11 to R-15 insulation but needs R-30, about 5 to 6 additional inches.
• An attic radiant barrier, usually made of aluminum foil bonded to paper, helps block heat flow through the roof into
the house during summer. It can be stapled across roof rafters in the attic and can reduce annual energy bills by 3%
to 8%.
• Ductwork
• Ducts in the attic of the average 10 to 15-year-old home leak 15% to 25% of its heating and cooling. Leaking ducts
can also affect air quality in your home by sucking in and redistributing pesticides, fiberglass fibers and dust.
• Ducts should be sealed with mastic sealant, a putty-like material that can be purchased at hardware stores. Because
of the Texas heat, the glue on traditional duct tape dries out and loses its adhesive quality. Mastic never totally
hardens, so it doesn't dry out or loosen with age.
• Fans
• Fans blowing directly on you can make temperatures around you feel up to 4 degrees cooler. Fans blowing, but not
directly on you will not produce the same effect.
Energy Conservation Tips
•Refrigerators and freezers
•Refrigerators more than 10 years old use up to 50% more energy than new energy efficient models. Behind heating, cooling and water heaters,
refrigerators and freezers are the biggest household energy users because they run all the time.
•Side-by-side refrigerators use about 45% more energy than refrigerators with a separate freezer on top. Upright freezers use 10% to 25% more
energy than chest styled freezers because they lose more cold air when opened. Freezers that must be manually defrosted use 35% to 40% less
energy than comparable frost-free models.
•Temperature settings that are too low cause refrigerators and freezers to run more than needed. The refrigerator temperature should be 36 to 38
degrees. The freezer temperature should be 0 to 5 degrees. To test: place an ordinary household thermometer in the refrigerator for 10 to 15
minutes. Be ready to read it the moment you open the door. Repeat the test for your freezer. Refrigerator temperatures set at even 10 degrees
lower than recommended can increase energy use by as much as 25%.
•Make sure your refrigerator and freezer doors seal properly. To test: close door over a dollar bill. If the dollar pulls out easily, the seal around the
door may need replacing or the door latch may need adjusting.
•Defrost (manual) freezers before the frost exceeds a quarter inch thick. Greater frost buildup makes the freezer work harder, running longer than
necessary.
•Gently vacuum off the refrigerator's condenser coils about every three months. The coils are located in the back or under the bottom of the
refrigerator. Excessive dust buildup will make the refrigerator work harder and run longer.
•Freezers can use up to 25% more energy if located in hot temperatures (such as in your garage during the summertime) than if they operate in
normal household temperature conditions.
•Let foods cool before placing in refrigerator unless the recipe specifies otherwise. Warm food will cause your refrigerator to run more.
•Thaw frozen foods in the refrigerator rather than on a counter top. This is safer, plus frozen items will help cool the refrigerator as they defrost and
may help reduce its running time.
•Freezers work better fully loaded.
Energy Conservation Tips
• Cooking
• Oven temperature drops by 25 to 30 degrees every time you open the oven door.
• Never place aluminum foil on an oven bottom (for instance, to catch drippings). The foil may block heat or air circulation
reducing oven temperature as much as 50 degrees. It may also interfere with even browning.
• Microwave ovens use up to 70% less energy, cook food up to 75% faster and produce much less heat than an electric or
gas oven.
• Cooking with tops on pots will bring liquids to a boil more quickly and will allow continued cooking at lower temperature
settings. Also, trapped steam in the pot will cook food faster. This reduces energy use and heat in the kitchen.
• Glass and ceramic pans retain heat better than metal pans and can allow you to lower the baking temperature by 25
degrees.
• Try to schedule cooking in the morning so that kitchen heat does not contribute to air conditioning use during the hotter
parts of the day.
• If using your oven for an hour or more, shut the kitchen off from the rest of your home and turn on the stove exhaust to
help take heat out of the kitchen.
• When not in use, a kitchen exhaust fan allows hot/cold outside air to come into your home or apartment. Low-cost covers
are available to cover exhaust fan openings.
Energy Conservation Tips
• Water Heater
• Next to heating and cooling, water heaters use the most energy in a household (14% to
20%). Lower the thermostat on your water heater to 120 degrees. This can save much in a
year.
• Wrapping your water heater with an insulation blanket can reduce its energy use by 10% to
15%. An insulating blanket will pay for itself in one year or less.
• Turn down or shut off your water heater when you will be away for extended periods.
• Clothes Dryers
• Dry loads of clothes back to back to take advantage of heat built up in the dryer.
• Clean the lint filter after every load. Your dryer will dry more efficiently, requiring less
running time.
• Close the door to the dryer room to keep from heating up the house.
Energy Conservation Tips
Energy Conservation Tips
• Other Appliances
• Unplug seldom-used appliances such as extra color televisions, DVD or video tape players, and computers when
not in use. Even off, they continue to draw as much as 10 watts of electricity (7-kilowatt hours per month) each.
• Laptop computers use significantly less energy than desktop models.
• Windows and Doors
• Low energy windows have a special surface coating that blocks out 40% to 70% of the heat that is normally
transmitted through clear glass, while allowing the full amount of light to pass through.
• Storm windows and doors can reduce the amount of cooling or heating lost through single pane glass by 50%.
• Keep blinds and drapes closed to keep your house cooler. Drapes block out sunlight and heat better than blinds.
• Tint films applied directly to windows can block out 40% to 60% of sunshine/heat.
• Solar screens on windows can block out 60% to 70% of sunlight/heat.
• As much as 10% of air-conditioned air may be leaking from your home. Caulking around windows and plumbing
penetrations (under sinks) and weather stripping around doors will stop leaks.
Energy Conservation Tips
• Lighting
• Turn off unneeded lights, even when leaving a room for a short time. Lights generate heat that increases room
temperature. Lighting accounts for about 10% of your electrical use.
• LED (light emitting diode) products emit light 90% more efficiently than incandescent light bulbs. Use LEDs in open,
well-ventilated fixtures to protect the sensitive electronic components. Quality LEDs can last 10-15 years. Choose a
dimmer designed for LED when dimming is needed.
• Dust building on lampshades and light bulbs can reduce lighting levels by as much as 50%.
• Fireplace
• When not using a fireplace, keep flue dampers closed. Otherwise, air conditioning and heating continuously escape
• Colors
• More heat is transferred into homes from outside walls painted with dark colors than those painted with light colors.
Dark, outside colors absorb 70% to 90% of the radiant heat that strikes the home's surface.
• Ceilings painted with light colors reflect light downward, which will make room lighting more efficient.
• Trees
• Correctly positioned shade trees can reduce indoor home temperatures by up to 20 degrees and summer cooling
costs by up to 40%. Also, tree-shaded neighborhoods stay up to 3 to 6 degrees cooler than tree-less neighborhoods.
Passive Cooling
• Passive cooling is a way of designing a building that focuses on
improving indoor heat to a comfortable level with little or no
energy consumption. This is often done through non-
mechanical conditioning solutions that involve preventing
heat from entering the building, by removing heat from the
building and or by delaying heat from entering the building. To
be effective, passive cooling, which is the least expensive
means of cooling a building as it helps to reduce the cost of air
conditioning, needs to cool the building and the people in it.
 Passive cooling design principles
• To achieve thermal comfort in cooling applications, building envelopes are designed to
minimize daytime heat gain, maximize night-time heat loss, and encourage cool breeze
access when available. Considerations include:
• designing the floor plan and building form to respond to local climate and site
• using and positioning thermal mass carefully to store coolness, not unwanted heat
• choosing climate appropriate windows and glazing
• positioning windows and openings to enhance air movement and cross ventilation
• shading windows, solar exposed walls and roofs where possible
• installing and correctly positioning appropriate combinations of both reflective and
bulk insulation
• using roof spaces and outdoor living areas as buffer zones to limit heat gain.
Passive cooling design principles
• Envelope design — floor plan and building form
• Envelope design is the integrated design of building form and materials as a
total system to achieve optimum comfort and energy savings.
• Heat enters and leaves a home through the roof, walls, windows and floor,
collectively referred to as the building envelope. The internal layout — walls,
doors and room arrangements — also affects heat distribution within a home.
• Good design of the envelope and internal layout responds to climate and site
conditions to optimize the thermal performance. It can lower operating costs,
improve comfort and lifestyle and minimize environmental impact.
• All Nigerian climates currently require some degree of passive cooling; with
climate change this is expected to increase.
Passive cooling design principles
• Envelope design — floor plan and building form
• Varied responses are required for each climate zone and even within each zone depending
on local conditions and the microclimate of a given site.
• Maximize the indoor−outdoor relationship and provide outdoor living spaces that are
screened, shaded and rain protected.
• Maximize convective ventilation with high level windows and ceiling or roof space vents.
• Zone living and sleeping areas appropriately for climate — vertically and horizontally.
• Locate bedrooms for sleeping comfort.
• Design ceilings and position furniture for optimum efficiency of fans, cool breezes and
convective ventilation.
• Locate mechanically cooled rooms in thermally protected areas (i.e. highly insulated, shaded
and well sealed).
Solar heat gain prevention
• The prevention of heat entering a building is
known as solar heat gain prevention, which refers
to the increase in temperature in a building from
the sun. Almost half of all heat gain in a building
is generated through windows that are unshaded.
External passive cooling techniques to help keep
out the heat include shading south, east or west
facing windows hit by direct sunlight through the
use of sun screens, awnings, roll-up shades, or
creating a trellis with trees for shading.
Passive cooling design principles
• Insulation
• Insulation is critical to passive cooling — particularly to the roof and floor. Windows are often left
open to take advantage of natural cooling and walls are easily shaded; roofs, however, are difficult
to shade, and floors are a source of constant heat gain through conduction and convection, with
only limited cooling contribution to offset it.
• Insulation levels and installation details for each climate zone are provided in Insulation and
Insulation installation. Pay careful attention to up and down insulation values and choose
appropriately for purpose and location.
• In climates that require only cooling or those with limited cooling needs, use multiple layers of
reflective foil insulation in the roof instead of bulk insulation to reduce radiant daytime heat gains
while maximizing night-time heat loss through conduction and convection. This is known as the
one-way insulation valve.
• Reflective foil insulation is less affected by condensation and is highly suited to cooling climate
applications as it reflects unwanted heat out while not re-radiating it in.
Passive cooling methods

• The removal of interior heat is known as natural

cooling. One way to maximize heat loss is by creating a
thermal chimney. This is achieved in a home by
opening the lowest windows on the side of the home
where the breeze is coming from and leaving interior
doors and upstairs windows on the opposite side of
the house open. This works much like a chimney in
that the warm interior air is draw upwards and out the
upper windows.
Passive cooling design principles
• Air movement and ventilation
• Design to maximize beneficial cooling breezes by providing multiple
flow paths and minimizing potential barriers; single depth rooms are
ideal in warmer climates.
• Because breezes come from many directions and can be deflected or
diverted, orientation to breeze direction is less important than the
actual design of windows and openings to collect and direct breezes
within and through the home.
• Use casement windows to catch and deflect breezes from varying
angles.
Air Movement
Passive cooling methods
• Convective air movement
• The rule of convection: warm air
rises and cool air falls.
• Stack ventilation, or convective air
movement, relies on the increased
buoyancy of warm air which rises to
escape the building through high
level outlets, drawing in lower level
cool night air or cooler daytime air
from shaded external areas (south)
or evaporative cooling ponds and
fountains
Passive cooling methods
• Evaporative cooling
• As water evaporates it draws large amounts of heat from surrounding air.
Evaporation is therefore an effective passive cooling method, although it
works best when relative humidity is lower (70% or less during hottest
periods) as the air has a greater capacity to take up water vapor.
• Rates of evaporation are increased by air movement.
• Pools, ponds and water features immediately outside windows or in
courtyards can pre-cool air entering the house. Carefully located water
features can create convective breezes. The surface area of water exposed
to moving air is also important. Fountains, mist sprays and waterfalls can
increase evaporation rates
Passive cooling design principles
• Thermal mass
• Thermal mass is the storage system for warmth and ‘coolth’ (the absence of warmth) in
passive design.
• Climate responsive design means positioning thermal mass where it is exposed to
appropriate levels of passive summer cooling (and solar heating in winter). Badly
positioned mass heats up and radiates heat well into the night when external
temperatures have dropped. As a rule of thumb, avoid or limit thermal mass in upstairs
sleeping areas. In climates with little or no heating requirement, low mass is generally
the preferred option (see Thermal mass).
• Earth-coupled concrete slabs-on-ground provide a heat sink where deep earth
temperatures (at 3m depth or more) are favourable, but should be avoided in climates
where deep earth temperatures contribute to heat gain. In these regions, use open
vented floors with high levels of insulation to avoid heat gain.
 Passive cooling methods
Earth coupling
Earth coupling of thermal mass protected from external
temperature extremes (e.g. floor slabs) can substantially
lower temperatures by absorbing heat as it enters the
building or as it is generated by household activities.
Passively shaded areas around earth-coupled slabs keep
surface ground temperatures lower during the day and
allow night-time cooling. Poorly shaded surrounds can lead
to earth temperatures exceeding internal comfort levels in
many areas. In this event, an earth-coupled slab can
become an energy liability.
Ground and soil temperatures vary throughout Australia.
Earth-coupled construction (including slab-on-ground and
earth covered or beamed) utilizes stable ground
temperatures at lower depths to absorb household heat
gains.
Passive cooling design principles
• Windows and shading
• Windows and shading are the most critical elements in passive
cooling. They are the main source of heat gain, via direct radiation
and conduction, and of cooling, via cross, stack and fan-drawn
ventilation, cool breeze access and night purging (see Glazing;
Shading).
• Low sun angles through east and west-facing windows increase heat
gain, while north-facing windows (south in tropics) transmit less heat
in summer because the higher angles of incidence reflect more
radiation.
Air movement and ventilation
Passive Design
Roof space
Well-ventilated roof spaces
(and other non-habitable
spaces) play a critical role in
passive cooling by
providing a buffer zone
between internal and
external spaces in the most
difficult area to shade, the
roof.
Cross ventilation

Design and locate

planting, fences and
outbuildings to funnel
breezes into and
through the building,
filter stronger winds and
exclude adverse hot or
cold winds.
Plant trees and shrubs to funnel breezes.
Passive Design Strategies
• Design responses consider shading, air movement, insulation and construction methods.
• Shading
• Permanently shade all walls and windows to exclude solar access and rain.
• Consider shading the whole building with a fly roof.
• Shade outdoor areas around the house with plantings and shade structures to lower the ground temperature
and thence the temperature of incoming air.
• Air movement
• Maximize exposure to (and funneling of) cooling breezes onto the site and through the building, e.g. larger
leeward openings, smaller windward openings.
• Use single room depths where possible with large openings that are well shaded to enhance cross-ventilation
and heat removal.
• Design unobstructed cross-ventilation paths.
• Provide hot air ventilation at ceiling level for all rooms with shaded openable clerestory windows,
‘whirlybirds’ or ridge vents.
Passive Design Strategies
• Provide hot air ventilation at ceiling level for all rooms with shaded openable clerestory
windows, ‘whirlybirds’ or ridge vents.
• Elevate the building to encourage airflow under floors.
• Use higher or raked ceilings to promote convective air movement.
• Design plantings to funnel cooling breezes and filter strong winds.
• Install ceiling fans to create air movement during still periods.
• Consider using whole of house fans with smart switching to draw cooler outside air into the
house at night when there is no breeze.
• Choose windows with maximum opening areas (louvres or casement) that can be tightly
sealed when closed; avoid fixed glass panels. Openable insulated panels and security screen
doors can be used instead of some windows.
• Use lighter colors on roof and external walls.
Passive Design Strategies
• Insulation
• Use insulation solutions that minimize heat gain during the day and
maximize heat loss at night, i.e. use multiple layers of reflective foil to
create a one-way heat valve effect and avoid bulk insulation.
• Construction
• Use low thermal mass construction generally.
• Consider the benefits of high mass construction in innovative, well-
designed hybrid solutions.
 Summary of passive strategies for Hot arid
climates with cool winter
• Use high thermal mass construction to capitalize on high diurnal temperature ranges by storing both warmth and
‘coolth’.
• Use compact forms to minimize surface area.
• Include closeable stack ventilation in stairwells and thermal separation between floors in two storey homes.
• Use shaded internal courtyards with evaporative cooling features in single storey homes. They are ideal for arid
climates where low humidity promotes high evaporation rates.
• Use high mass solutions with passive solar winter heating where winters are cooler and diurnal ranges are significant.
• Use well-sealed windows and doors with maximum opening area to optimise exposure to cooling breezes and exclude
hot, dry and dusty winds
• Use smaller windows and door openings designed for faster air movement. Ensure that the majority of glazing is
north facing and passive solar shaded.
• Minimise east and west-facing glazing or provide adjustable external shading. High mass living areas are more
comfortable during waking hours. Low mass sleeping areas cool quickly at night. High insulation prevents winter heat
loss and summer heat gain.
• Evaporative cooling and active solar heating systems reduce the need for large, solar exposed glass areas for heating
(i.e. active rather than passive heating).